Travel Ball Overview + Letter of Intent

Parents:

Thank you for your interest in having your child tryout for Bismarck Youth Baseball’s (BYB) 2022 travel ball program. BYB is a non-profit organization that sponsors youth league baseball and travelling teams for Cal Ripken baseball in the 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-year-old age groups. For travel ball, BYB may sponsor up to two teams per age group, depending upon the number of tryout participants and the results of the tryout process. If there are enough players to field two teams within the 10-, 11-, or 12-year-old age groups, the players with the top 12 tryout results will be placed on the “Americans” roster and the next 12 players will be placed on the “Nationals” roster. If there are enough players to field two teams within the 9-year-old age group, the players will be evenly split between the “Americans” and “Nationals” rosters, based on their scores. On an infrequent basis, a team’s roster may be expanded to 13 players if tryout results are simply too close to differentiate.

To be considered for a roster, your child is required to attend each session to get a valid session score. The sessions will include:

• 9- and 10-year-old players:
  • Travel Tryout – Session 1 to be held on Tuesday, February 8, 2022
  • Travel Tryout – Session 2 to be held on Sunday, February 13, 2022
• 11- and 12-year-old players:
  • Travel Tryout – Session 1 to be held on Thursday, February 10, 2022
  • Travel Tryout – Session 2 to be held on Sunday, February 13, 2022

Note: Travel Tryout – Session 2 will be mandatory for all players who have been invited to participate in this second tryout session. The invitation to attend this second session will be based on the results of the player’s tryout – Session 1. It is possible that not all players will receive an invitation to attend Travel Tryout – Session 2. Players that are invited to the second session will receive an email the next day after session 1 tryouts.

Travel Ball Tryouts

Tuesday, February 8

• 9 YO | 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm
• 10 YO | 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm

Thursday, February 10

• 11 YO | 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm
• 12 YO | 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm

Sunday, February 13

• 9 YO | 10:00 am – 11:15 am
• 10 YO | 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
• 11 YO | 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
• 12 YO | 2:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Location: Fore Seasons Center “Golf Dome”, 2525 N. 19th St.

Players should arrive for tryouts no less than 15 minutes before their scheduled start time to get checked in. Baseball attire should be worn for tryouts (wear tennis shoes – no cleats) and players should each bring their own glove. Players are not allowed to wear any BYB travelling jerseys or caps from previous years, or any clothing with their name on it. Note: It is the parent’s responsibility to spend time getting players in basic shape (i.e. arm strength, aerobic conditioning, etc.) prior to tryouts.

There is a $20 per player travel tryout fee that must be paid at the first travel tryout session, to cover the facility rental.

Age Breakdown

9YO | May 1, 2012 – April 30, 2013

10YO | May 1, 2011 – April 30, 2012

11YO | May 1, 2010 – April 30, 2011

12YO | May 1, 2009 – April 30, 2010

Tryout Process Overview

Session 1

This tryout session will be judged by independent (i.e. none of their own children will be players in the tryout group), experienced, and knowledgeable adult volunteers. BYB will attempt to get up to 2 judges per station, depending on availability of volunteers. Each player will be assigned a number for scoring, and the tryout process will ensure that no scoring mix-up occurs.

Session 2

This tryout session will be evaluated by the BYB Travel Committee.

At the conclusion of the tryout process, results will be reviewed by the BYB Travel Committee. Based on these results, the travel team(s) will be selected, and team rosters will be posted to the BYB website.

Note: Travel players will not be placed on a league team, similar to years past. 9 YO team(s), and potentially 10 YO team(s), will play together in league play, but will play under certain guidelines to keep competitiveness in mind.

Travel Ball Fees

If your child is selected to be on a travel team, there will be an additional $300 travel ball fee to help offset tournament fees, uniforms, equipment costs, umpire costs, and volunteering fee. There will be no refunds, except for the volunteering fee ($100) if standards are met.  Of the $300 travel fee, $100 goes towards paying for umpires. If there are excess funds available at the end of the season, the additional umpire funds will be evenly distributed. If teams, decide to play more games that require additional funds to pay for umpires the team must get permission from BYB and at the end of the season each family will be invoiced for the additional balance.

Bismarck Youth Baseball Contributes

• Up to $800 in tournament entry fees per team
  • BYB also covers the entry fees for a BYB-hosted invitational tournament and each Cal Ripken state baseball tournament.
• Uniform set for players and coaches
  • Hat
  • Jersey
  • White Pants
  • Socks and Belt
• Umpire costs up to 6 double headers
  • If there are two BYB teams playing each other, BYB will split the cost between the two teams.
• Necessary team equipment

Rules and Expectations for Travel Ball

1. Attendance at all designated tryouts is mandatory to be considered for a travelling team. We understand that there can be various conflicts and have done our best to schedule tryout dates that encourage attendance and participation.

2. The is an expectation, and in order to prevent a hardship for traveling teams and league teams, no player shall:
   1. Miss more than one travelling tournament per year and must attend all of the post-season tournaments (may include State, Regionals, or World Series);
   2. Miss more that 10% of the travelling team practices and;
   3. Miss more than 15% of their regular season, BYB league games / travel league games (as applicable)

Failure to comply with the above standards may result in the player’s head coach requesting the BYB travel committee for their removal. While BYB understands that conflicts may occasionally arise. However, the above participation requirements are important for the experience of the team. Travel teams typically participate in 4-8 tournaments per year, as determined by the head coach and group of parents at a preseason team meeting. In addition, there will be practices, end of year advancing tournaments: state, regional (if qualify), and world series (if qualify), and some scrimmages as arranged by the head coach. BYB will limit the number of invitational tournaments for the 9-year-old travel team to three per year and such tournaments will not exceed a 400-mile radius from Bismarck, ND. In addition, there will be season-end advancing tournaments (i.e. ND state tournament, regionals, etc.). If a player or parent has any hesitation as to fulfilling the above commitments, then the player should not try out for Travel Ball.

New this year for some age divisions (11YO & 12YO) is a west region travel league that North Dakota Babe Ruth is in the process of developing. Since the league is in the early stages of its formation more information will be provided to the travel coaches as the season approaches.

Note: Currently, North Dakota Babe Ruth is not considering a formal league for the 10YO age group. However, BYB will work with the 10 YO travel team(s) on their options to provide them opportunities to play in league games as well as schedule weekday travel games.  

3. Parents of travel players must be willing participants to attend the tournaments and scrimmages as selected by the coach and parents. As mentioned, BYB covers up to $800 in entry fees per team, as well as the entry fees for a BYB-hosted invitational tournament and each Cal Ripken State Baseball Tournament. Any additional costs and tournament fees will be at the expense of the travelling team parents.

4. Parents of travel players must be willing volunteers to help run any Cal Ripken Baseball Tournament hosted by BYB (invitational, qualifier, State, Regional, or World Series). At the start of the season, a $100 volunteering fee will be assessed to all travelling parents. If parents volunteer for the above tournaments, the $100 fee will be refunded at the conclusion of the season.

5. Each player that is selected to be on a travel team will receive a uniform. This uniform is to only be worn for game purposes. Each travel team may also choose to purchase other BYB-approved apparel as well. The cost for additional apparel is the responsibility of the parents.

6. In travel baseball, playtime is not equal. In addition, players are not guaranteed to have an equal rotation of infield or outfield positions or certain placement within the batting order. BYB relies upon its coaches to determine what is in the best interest of the team. That said, BYB has adopted a minimum play-time policy for travel ball (which exceeds Cal Ripken requirements), which includes the following:
   1. Invitational Tournaments – Each player shall play a minimum of six defensive outs and one at-bat per game. Understanding that games may be shortened for reasons outside of the coach’s control (i.e. weather, 10-run rule, etc.), there may be occasions when this minimum play-time standard is not achieved.
   2. Advancing Tournaments (i.e. State, Regionals, World Series) – Each player shall make no less than one appearance per game. An appearance includes the following: a pinch hitter for the completion of one full at-bat, a pinch runner, a pitching change to face the minimum of one batter, a defensive substitution for the minimum of one defensive out, etc.
   3. Travel League – Each player shall play a minimum of one game during a double header.

Play-time discussions will not be held outside of determining whether the coach has met BYB’s minimum play-time standards.

We thank you for your interest in BYB Travel Baseball for the 2022 season. By signing the Acknowledgement below, you are representing that you have received, reviewed, and agreed to the information contained within this Travel Ball Overview and Letter of Intent, and that you will abide by the decisions of the travel committee and BYB. If you are not willing to agree to this, please reconsider having your child tryout.

2022 BYB Travel Ball Overview and Letter of Intent

______________________________________________________

Player Name and Age (Printed)

_________________________________          _________________________                   

Parent Name (Printed)                                                   Parent Signature               Date

__________________________________          _________________________                

Parent Name (Printed)                                                   Parent Signature               Date

Player Information

• Parents, please bring along a t-shirt (preferably dri-fit – but cotton will work) that currently fits your player. We will have jerseys laid out for sizing reference, so players will not have to try anything on at the session.
• Players - Before tryouts, please write in your 1st and 2nd choice of Jersey # below):

Jersey # - 1st Choice:                            Jersey # - 2nd Choice:                  

BYB USE ONLY (to be completed by BYB Officials on day of Travel Tryout, Session 1)

Age Division:                        

Tryout Number:                   

Fee Paid:        YES      NO

Jersey Size: